The Shaman and the Itako
by a.paradigm
Summary: short stories revolving around the relationship of Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama. some rewritten and some brand new. some AU and some within the context of canon. hope you enjoy. (R&R)
1. Hana

_-Hana-_

* * *

Anna had reached an entirely new level of being pissed off with her husband, Yoh. His secrecy was getting on her nerves. Recently, he would get up early in the morning and leave the house purposely not telling her where he was going and wouldn't come back until later that afternoon and for some odd reason, he would be covered in dirt and grass. It was a really unsightly and rather suspicious condition to be in after being gone for the entire day. Her questions quickly escalated when she first found him coming into Funbari Inn all disheveled and dirty three days in a row. It at first seemed like it would be a simple thing to explain and understand, but due to his tight-lipped responses, it was totally not the case. He completely refused to answer her no matter how many times she asked or demanded. No matter how much she tried to pry details from him; he would never tell her.

And as punishment for his incompetence and not giving her the well-needed information she wanted, Anna made Yoh do countless hours of extra chores and exercise as long as he kept up his little "secret". But even the strenuous labor didn't make him own up for his actions. He would simply tend to his tasks with a beaming smile on his face. That little cocky bastard's smile was the thing that made her the angriest.

How could someone gain such pleasure by holding a secret from their own wife? His behavior was unorthodox and unacceptable to her and she wouldn't stand for it…not in the least. She even almost resorted to slapping him with her Left Hand, but she stopped herself from doing so. It had become quite the lethal weapon since she had gotten older. And even the constant threat of Anna suddenly taking his life with a mere flinch of her wrist didn't stop him from hiding the truth from her. Being the sort of woman that she was, she was too prideful to simply ask him directly because she felt that would make her look weak in a sense. She tried her best to trust her husband, but his questionable behavior wasn't actually helping her dilemma.

Any other time, his compulsive behavior would have been fine, barely something she would even give the time of day. She knew just as well as everyone else that these sorts of things would never have bothered her before. In a case such as this, she wouldn't even have batted an eye in Yoh's direction for the most part because of her husband's usual lack of common sense. But now, it was different…for many reasons. Now was not the time for him to be doing whatever the hell he wanted while leaving her alone in the house, not the time for him to be acting like an idiot, not the time for him to act foolish and immature. He needed to pay more attention to her, to look at her more intently...what WAS he doing to keep himself so occupied?

And thus, today had marked the sixth time Yoh had gotten up and left her alone in the house, but today, she made a conscious decision not to let it get to her. She had been in the kitchen sitting in silence thinking over her current situation while she was calmly sipping on a cup of hot tea and eating a cinnamon bun (which was the exact cinnamon bun Yoh had asked her not to eat because he had saved it to eat later…a childish but satisfying way to get back at him for acting suspicious). Even though she told herself not to let Yoh get to her, she was still allowing herself to give his precarious behavior a little thought. Just thinking about him made her angry. She took a huge bite out of the bun. Anger had apparently started to make it taste better.

 _Calm down Anna…_

She was not about to give in. She wasn't about to march out the down and track him down and drag him back to Funbari wrapped in her needed to concentrate on something else. It was then at that moment that she began to actually notice the things around her. It was actually quite the beautiful day outside. Sunlight poured through the open window sill up above her. The bird that landed on the perch was a nice touch to the tranquil springtime atmosphere that found its way into the inn. Maybe this relaxing atmosphere could get her mind off things. She sat the cup of tea back on the table and closed her eyes taking in all of her surroundings. A chilly breeze blew through the kitchen blowing her now lengthy hair about her face.

 _"I wonder what he's doing…?"_

The veins in her forehead began to throb.

 _Damn it!_ Even THIS pleasant atmosphere wasn't helping. She was indeed significantly calmer than she had been in the past few days, but she was now more curious than ever. Usually, Yoh was never really motivated to do anything but look up at the sky and listen to music all day. Whatever it was, it was really giving him the ability to actually get up and do it. He wasn't just dirty when he came to the house, he was tired and would soon pass out in their bedroom after taking a shower, giving her no time to ask him anything. But in any case, she could see SOME good out of this ordeal. Later, when she found out what he was really doing, he would have absolutely not excuse or room to complain about cooking or cleaning till he was exhausted. If he was enthusiastic enough to hold secrets from her, he should be able to pull some more enthusiasm out of him to do even more strenuous chores.

She suddenly heard the back door open.

" _Hey_ , _Anna_ , are you home?"

Yoh's voice, clear as day.

Before she could even respond to him, he came walking through the door of the kitchen immediately meeting her eyes.

He smiled, "...There you are."

Instinctively, she frowned. So far, for the past few days, he has been extra friendly and loving towards her. And in response, she refused to talk to him as little as possible. She was not about to lose to him no matter what he was planning, regardless of how much he smiled and flirted with her.

She looked at his attire. Odd. His clothes were actually cleaner than they usually were. There weren't any grass marks or dirt on them. And he was home earlier than usual. She watched as her husband walked over to the sink and poured himself a glass of water.

" _You're_ home early…" she said sarcastically. "...what happened with this THING you've been keeping a secret from me? _Now_ all of a sudden you have free time?"

He took a huge sip out of his beverage and sighed happily.

"That's why I'm here so early," he said placing his drink on the table and walking up to her. He took her by the hand without even thinking about the consequences of doing so. He was indeed in a very dangerous situation with her. Doing something like grabbing her hand without a rhyme or reason while she was already irritated was pushing his limits and testing her patience to the extreme. Regardless of whether or not he was married to her, she was still very capable of vaporizing his soul, but he apparently didn't care in the slightest.

He spoke before she could lash out, "I wanted to show you what I've been doing this week. It's finally finished. Would you take a little walk with me down the road? I want to show you something."

Curiosity almost got the best of her in an instant. She was almost up out of her seat without really thinking but she forced herself to stop. She was not about to be drawn into his pace so easily. She was still pissed off.

" _Tell me_ what it _is_ first," she demanded. "You think I'm going to just go along with your little plan after being left in the dark for six days? You have a limited brain capacity for thinking that."

He continued to smile at her, "Pleeeease…I promise to explain everything to you once we get there. Just take a walk with me." He got down on one knee refusing to release her hand. "Pretty pleeeeaase…?"

His dark eyes widened like a child begging for a toy…and she couldn't believe that she dared herself to be drawn into it. How could such childish curiosity bring her to a level of conflicting emotions…debating with herself on whether or not she was going to get up from her seat? Either way, she had to admit that he was the only one who was capable of finding the small cracks in her personality some called her "weaknesses". She was more infuriated with herself knowing she couldn't stay angry with him. It was exhausting.

She sighed heavily, "Fine...I'll go, but if what you're showing me isn't legit, I promise you, I will personally see that your soul will find the most excruciating and most painful path into Hell that I can find."

And her threat was quite true…but it didn't seem to faze him at all.

"I promise you, you'll like it," he said gracefully raising her up from her seat. He led her out into the hallway and to the front door swiping the straw hat the two of them used when they went walking downtown off the coat rack. He lightly placed it on her head and patted it down around her eyebrows which flustered her even more.

"What. Are. _You_. _Do_ -"

"It looks _good_ on you. It goes with your white dress. You look beautiful in it."

Her heart began to race much to her discomfort. She was having mixed emotions with this whole situation. What exactly was he hiding? What the hell was he planning?

The grip on her hand tightened. "Off we go then."

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

* * *

"Ok..." she muttered under her breath following in his footsteps out the door and into the front yard. She had to admit it. She was silently giving in. She had missed his touch…holding his hand. She hadn't felt it in days and now…he was back to his normal carefree self again smiling like a complete idiot for no reason and she was being dragged around going along with whatever his plans were.

She firmly took hold of his hand for a moment forgetting all of the confusion she had once felt.

She missed this.

"Yoh…we've been walking for thirty minutes. Where are we going?" They had walked together into a nearby thicket and were on their way into a clearing. They had made their way away from the hustle and bustle of the city, climbed a distant hill and all was quiet now. The only sound was the blowing wind and the chirping of the birds. But even by now, her curiosity and irritation had reached its peak.

"We're almost there Anna. This'll explain everything in a short while. For the moment, could you close your eyes?"

She looked at him skeptically, "Why?"

He chuckled under his breath at her lack of cooperation. He always found that cute about her, "It's a surprise. I promise that you'll like it."

She frowned but complied with his request. He took hold of both of her hands and lead her towards the clearing in the forest.

"Don't worry, I won't let you go," he told her.

"If we don't make it to our destination soon, you are going to wish you HAD let me go," she threatened again in a mixed of anger and slight excitement.

He lightly laughed under his breath continuing to lead her on. About two minutes of walking passed before Anna asked to open her eyes again.

"Ok…you can open them now," he told her stepping to the side.

It took a half-second for her to actually realize it, but she was actually in a field of flowers….thousands of flowers. And they were in every color she could think of. In every direction she looked, she saw nothing but flowers swaying back and forth in the wind as far as the clearing was. It was like she had woken up into a dream. It was a sea of colors and the sweet smell of all the kinds of efflorescence filled the air. But this was no dream. This was real. Thousands of beautiful flowers dancing around her ankles as if praising the beautiful mid afternoon. She was at a loss for words.

She turned to face Yoh who was standing next to her, "You did this?"

He nodded, "I wanted it to be a surprise no matter what so I kept your birthday present a secret from you. I know you probably thought that I had forgotten about it or something like that since I've been acting like a jerk lately, but I didn't. I promise. I'd never."

He hadn't forgotten...about her birthday.

That was one of the reasons why she wanted him to stay at the house so badly. She thought that he was actually stupid enough to forget his wife's birthday. Had that been so, it would have been a capital offense on his part. But for the moment, she was speechless. He would go to this length to make her happy?

"I know you like flowers?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I gave you any indication that I liked them this much" she said, eyes glued to the thousands of lilies that danced around her. She was certain that even he wouldn't know something like that about her. She never told him…right?

He smiled, "You know that vase of flowers on the kitchen table we have?"

She nodded.

"Well, for as long as I have been living together with you, I began to notice that no matter how many times we went to fight or no matter what occupied our free time, you always kept those flowers alive and healthy…picking off the dead leave and constantly watering them. It probably seemed like a little thing to you, but I had begun to notice. And so, when I was about sixteen I made a conscious decision. On the first birthday that you had within the first year of our marriage, I would make you a field of flowers." He laughed out loud, "Yeah, kind of a stupid thing to do, right?"

Wow.

Of all the people in her life, he was the most selfless person she had ever met. He wouldn't betray her trust. What he had done for her was so sweet and kind...it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.

She took him by the hand and rose off her heels to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you Yoh…from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much. I love it."

He smiled contently at her, "You're welcome. Happy birthday." He scratched the back of his head with his other hand, "Oh, and I'm really sorry for making you worried all this time. I'll never do it again. I promise."

She lightly laughed under her breath, "Its fine. Don't worry about it." she looked out into the sea of flowers and suddenly, a named came to mind.

"Hana…"

Yoh looked at her, "You say something?"

She smiled slyly, "Well Yoh, I also have a confession to make. While you were keeping secrets, I've kept a secret from you as well."

She looked up at him and smiled brightly, "I'm pregnant….and we're naming him Hana. I just thought of the name. Do you like it...?"

* * *

 _ **(After Yoh regained consciousness from the shock, the two happily went back home together finally over the recent chain of events. Yoh then realized that his cinnamon bun that he saved was missing. To this day, he still has no idea where it went.)**_


	2. A Little Longer

— _A Little Longer—_

* * *

Yoh and Anna sat together in the downstairs living room of Funbari Inn enjoying each other's company on a rainy Sunday evening. Their newborn, Hana had just gone to sleep and a rare opportune moment to relax had arisen. Ever since the bouncing baby boy had come into the world, the newfound parents didn't actually have a moment's peace. They might have been saviors of the world, both the physical realm and spiritual, but having a child to take care of was a whole new frontier. Neither were prepared for how rambunctious little Hana would be and his unpredictability brought on long nights and early mornings for the both of them. And when friends and family would come by to visit, one parent would be up and rocking the baby to sleep, while the other would be upstairs getting some shut-eye of their own. But in spite of the reoccurring difficulty of parenting, they handled their haphazard events of the shared responsibility with as much fanes and grace as possible. This particular afternoon was a well-needed reward for their hard work.

Yoh had one arm around Anna's shoulders and she was leaning on his chest as they sat half-listening to the doting mid-afternoon news reporter on the television. Neither was really transfixed by the man's obvious explanation that it was indeed raining outside at that very moment. It was rather warm and a bit humid in the room, perfect napping conditions. Yoh slightly looked out the corner of his eye to glance at his wife who was nestled beside him. She was noticeably comfortable and was not too far from dozing off. Her eye lashes began to flutter and her head tilted a little to the left.

He smiled. Moments like this had become a bit more common since they officially got married, but he always cherished the moments he could be next to her as if they were new every time. He would be the only one to know this Anna, the one with all of her defenses down, the one who loved him unconditionally, the one who confided in him, and he took pride in that. Being married to this woman after they overcame all of their previous difficulties was a privilege and an honor.

He then remembered earlier that same morning how she had told him that they needed to go shopping before the day was out. She wanted to cook and needed to go to the market to pick up some ingredients.

He looked back down at her.

She had just vacationed into slumber.

He sighed knowing that he didn't want to interrupt her sleep, but it was going on five o' clock and she would be fussy and hungry later on if he hadn't gone to the store by dinnertime.

He slightly nudged her and whispered in her ear, "Hey Anna, heey, you want me to go to the store? It's getting a little late."

She stirred for a moment as her eyes slowly opened. She had a small, almost childish frown on her face, bothered by being awoken from her nap. She sat up all the way and stretched, turning her attention to her husband.

"What did you say Yoh?"

"Dinner's in a few hours. You want me to go to the store still?"

She paused as she yawned shaking the daze off and regaining her focus, "Yeah, that's fine. I need some seaweed and salmon. I'm making sushi tonight."

He nodded, "Alright then. Lemme go get my wallet." He rose from his seat and made his way out of the room and upstairs to their bedroom. He opened the door and entered pit-stopping at the crib that sat parallel to their futon. Inside slept his son, nibbling his thumb as the small dirty blond locks dangled about his small tender face.

Yoh couldn't help but smile.

"How's he doing Amidamaru?"

The spirit slowly descended into view wearing an equally satisfied expression, "He hasn't made a sound Yoh-dono. He takes after you."

The shaman chuckled, "Yeah, only in his sleep. He's got an attitude just like his mother, that's for sure."

The samurai nodded in silent agreement, "Off to the market?"

"Yeah, gotta pick up a few things for dinner."

"Understood. I'll keep a close eye on the young master."

"Thanks Amidamaru."

Yoh quickly swiped his wallet and keys off his dresser, kissed his namesake on the forehead, and made his way back downstairs.

To his satisfaction, Anna was already by the door with an umbrella and raincoat in hand.

"You were out in the garden a few days ago in the rain like an idiot. You could have caught a cold."

"I'll be more careful, I promise."

"You'd better. I'm not raising this child by myself. Here."

He took the coat from her hand and slipped it on, "I'll be back soon."

He indicated for a small peck on the lips and she complied without hesitation, but the innocent kiss suddenly evolved into a more arousing situation when Yoh took her by her waist which without a doubt, caught her off guard making her drop the umbrella to the floor as he captured her lips in a possessive manner.

"Hm!—"

Anna knew Yoh was the romantic type, but he was more of a flatterer, saying something that would make her blush once in a while, but physically? Not so much. So, this sudden display of affection had no rhyme or reason from what she could comprehend at that moment and she didn't have time to collect another coherent thought before he pushed her into the wall and cupped her face with his free hand. The motion made her weak in the knees making her sigh and she slowly placed her hands on his chest innocently struggling against the weight of his lean body. She could feel his hand move from her waist down the curvature of her hip and onto her thigh where he took hold and lifted her leg off the ground like a Spanish dancer sliding his hand along her bare skin pushing her dress up towards her navel. She had no choice but to use the wall for support as her breathing became heavier and her thought process even hazier. His kisses slowly made their way from her lips to her neck where he playfully sank his teeth into the porcelain skin near her collar bone.

She gasped as the sensation shot through her.

"H-ah—!"

Were they seriously making out in the doorway of their house?

Anna had no fight in her from the beginning. She was still a little drowsy from her nap, so she had no chance against his aggressive advances. And if she was truly being honest with herself, she didn't want to combat his reasoning for why he was caressing her so, why his tongue had been dancing in her mouth, why his thumb slid across her jawline making her head tilt into his kiss, why his body leaned so steadily on hers. She was like putty in his arms. And just as the last link of reasoning that kept her tied to the fact that they were embracing in the damned doorway began to break, just as soon as she was about to clench onto his white shirt and press every centimeter of her lips onto his…

…he backed away.

Again, it caught her off guard. His sudden recede made her take a distressed step forward chasing his lips. Her eyes fluttered open and an equally satisfied Yoh came into view.

She stood there looking back at him, face flushed, hands slightly trembling, and breathless with the strap of her dress slightly hanging off her shoulder. She tried formulating a sentence, but she was too flustered to say anything that remotely made any type of sense, so she gave up all together. For a few fleeting moments, they just stared into each other's eyes trying to regain their composure.

He suddenly spoke, "I love you, Anna."

Her eyes widened and an instinctive frown appeared on her face frustrated with herself for being unable to figure him out, "W-what's gotten into you all of a sudden?!"

He said nothing for a moment as he went to pick up the umbrella and slipped on his sandals. He gazed at her again.

"I dunno. I feel like I don't say it as often as I should. I just wanted you to know that."

She batted her eyes in slight confusion as he opened the front door. The rain had gotten lighter and the sun could be seen through the clouds.

He smiled at her, "I'll be back in a bit." Before he walked out the door, he stepped forward and kissed her... _again_ , this time grabbing her waist with one hand and the other, tightly squeezing her butt sending goosebumps up her entire body.

"!-Yoh-"

And with that, he was out the door and making his way to the front gate of Funbari. For a moment, Anna stood frozen on the spot, but she quickly stepped outside leaning against the open door frame.

"Yoh!" she almost reached out to try and snatch his name out of the air.

"Yeah?" he turned around slightly noticing his wife was suddenly acting a bit coy at the doorway.

She then forgot why she had called his name, or rather was reluctant to say what she actually wanted.

"...Just hurry back."

He simply turned his head and smiled at her, a few steps later and he was out of sight completely.

* * *

She shut the door behind her and stood motionless for a long while. It was as if everything in her had betrayed her. Her cheeks still felt hot, she hardly had any strength in her legs, and her palms were moist. She leaned her back onto the wall and let her bangs dance in front of her eyes. She took a finger and traced her still electrified lips.

"What was _that_ about?"

She sighed in release. Whatever had gotten into him, saying she didn't like it would be a blatant lie. Since it was something she had never experienced with Yoh, she knew that this type of behavior was something he wanted more of, and the fact that she didn't out right slap the life out of him warranted the insinuation that she liked it too...the feeling that she wasn't in control, that she just...gave in.

An underlined smiled appeared on her face.

Whether it was intentional or not, that moment of intimacy had suddenly opened a new horizon of mischief she had never given any thought. A flight of fancy she was all too eager to explore. Sooner than later.

"U-um, Anna-dono…?"

She snapped back to reality as she fixed her gazed on Amidamaru who floated in front of her in his spirit-ball form. She could tell that he was fidgeting, rather embarrassed about something…maybe something—

Her eyes narrowed and a familiar unquenchable anger began to stir in her. The strength she had just so happened to lose to push Yoh off came flooding back. She had been caught out of character. She could tell by the look on his face.

"What did you see?" she snarled. "And don't you lie to me!"

The spirit cowered back in fear and regret for approaching her at such an awkward moment, "N-no, you misunderstand. I j-just want to let you know t-that the young master has woken up. I just d-didn't want to interrupt."

It was too late. The beads were already in her hand, wrapped around her wrist.

Her silhouette had descended upon him like a hawk descends upon a helpless rodent.

 _ **"Prepare yourself samurai. Hell hath no fury…"**_

A shriek of unimaginable terror could be heard throughout Japan, one only ghosts and shamans alike could hear.

If only the poor spirit had waited a little longer to come downstairs…


	3. Fate Wheel (Part 1)

_-Fate Wheel-_

 _part 1_

Yoh Asakura liked Anna Kyoyama. And that wasn't much of a secret.

Those that were involved with either of the two were aware of the plight that the young man had been going through for the past three years or so. Who knows? It could have been longer, but Yoh wasn't about to disclose what he thought was "incriminating evidence" on himself. The only person who would have known if Yoh had a crush on the girl that predated their simple high school years would be his older twin brother, Hao Asakura, but then, when asked by the other people in their class, Hao would then dawn a coy smile and delicately press a finger to his lips and say, "That...is a secret."

His playful remark would melt the hearts of any female classmates that doted on him, but Hao honestly did it to keep the others off of his naive little brother's case when addressing this topic. Hao had pondered and even confronted Yoh about his love-from-afar, stating that it would be so much simpler if he were to just go and talk to her. But every time, as always, Yoh would make up some type of eloquently put, yet overwhelmingly evasive excuse to not pursue what he obviously wanted leaving Hao and a few of his closer friends like Horo Horo and Manta frustrated with him.

But to a degree, they could understand his complacency. It wasn't like Anna was the most approachable person in the world. Anna, in spite her strikingly beautiful features, her blond hair and cat-like, almond eyes, her slim figure and pale skin that glistened in the sunlight, was almost in stark contrast, the most anti-social person in the school. She sat closest to the class room door and in acute silence during lessons and was nowhere to be found in and around lunch. And when school ended, she departed alone and directly to her home, not participating in any type of extracurricular activities.

To the majority of those in school, it was a clear indicator that Anna Kyoyama was either a certified "bitch", or just a person who sincerely desired to live a secluded life. And that was where most of the curiosity stemmed from. Naturally, rumors began to spread about her, she was avoided by some and ridiculed by others. But Anna never seemed to mind. She hardly batted an eye as she made her rounds in the school halls from class-to-class nor headed it. No matter the contrary rumor that seemed to ooze from a falsified tongue, she never retaliated. She never had to either. Those who thought her as a stuck-up brat always conspired resentment and malevolent plans against the girl, but never brought their deeds to fruition due to the almost haunting presence Anna always carried with her. She was simply too terrifying to approach in that manner either. So, the overall best way to deal with her was to simply leave her be.

But there were some people, people like Yoh Asakura and Hao, that knew there was more to the silent Anna Kyoyama than most were leading themselves to believe. There was a reason for her strange countenance, but it was not their place to say, so they never tried in full earnest to disway the irrational comments towards, suggesting that they would only step in if things got violent between classmates, which thankfully never did.

However, that wasn't really the case at her home.

The Asakura and Kyoyama households were neighbors of sorts. Yoh and Hao's father Mikihisa and Anna's father worked at the same company and their mother, Keiko, who ran the local flower shop (which was an extension of their house) knew Anna's mother from her frequent visits to pick up her favorite blossoms. And from this typical exchange that happened regularly, the Asakura family began to unwittingly unravel what was really going on.

Anna had an abusive father who found his best escapes from normalcy and the everyday stresses of life at the bottom of a bottle and in his drunken rage, his hands would find their way onto his wife on occasion, leaving bruises on her arms and torso. Anna would step in when she could, and that would ultimately drive him away from anymore confrontation for the duration of the day. However, it was only delaying the inevitable when he'd start again a week or so later, only for Anna to intervene again.

Keiko and Mikihisa confronted Anna's mother with assurance that if she wanted it, they would help by calling the authorities, but she swiftly declined the offers stating that if her husband were to leave them, they would have no feasible source of income. And his drunken rants were a small price to pay, for he truly loved his family. She sated the minds of those concerned with a soft smile that was more times than not, marred with a noticeable bruise of some kind.

Yoh could only imagine how taxing that would be on her. She was only seventeen. And he loved her all the more for it. He wished he could do something, but every time he tried speaking to her in class or on their way to school, careful to not bring up any touchy subjects, just wanting to start a friendly chat, she would just ignore him and walk away, hardly giving the Asakura brothers acknowledgment.

Anna knew of their family entanglement be it that their parents were close associates and they walked in the same direction in school, but she made it a point to not associate with them. Even when Yoh tried starting conversation with her, she would politely decline his request and ask to be left alone. Hao would comfort his discouraged little brother saying she would "come around eventually", but Yoh was seriously beginning to doubt it. All he really want to do was be her friend if anything. It was breaking his heart knowing she was suffering alone.

"No one deserves to be alone like that," he would often tell himself. Well, he would tell himself that, but honestly didn't know if it was true. He wasn't sure if he was just trying to convince himself that he truly meant well by Anna or if he was just subduing the truth, that he had selfish, one-sided feelings for her and his constant prying was only making her situation even worse.

It was all so complicated, and Yoh was far too a simple guy to try and figure out a way to diffuse a way to stop such a personal endeavor, but wanted desperately to be a comfort to his crush when she needed it most. But was unable to.

He would hope that one day, he would be able to take her away from the chaos that was her life.

And as the fate wheel began to turn, so did the discord in the Kyoyama household reach its pinnacle one night in the middle of a summer thunderstorm...


	4. It'll Work Out

_(revised)_

 _It'll Work Out_

"Here Anna, I've got the…"

Yoh had just come from the convenient store across the road and walked up the hill to where his wife and he were sitting in the ankle-high grass enjoying the breeze that blew across the hillside. It was a beautiful day and the two were taking a well deserved rest after traveling nonstop for about two weeks. Time had really gotten away from them since they began traversing together a few years ago.

Hao had given them a task…a task that only the two of them were burdened to carry. They were to change to the world, make it a better place.

Somehow.

And so they left behind their home and belongings to do just that. So far, progress was slow and steady, but the two were persistent, traveling from country-to-country, learning new languages, negotiating with companies and government officials, and being on many television talk shows always discussing shamanism and spirits. Some of it was received and at other times, it wasn't.

It had been a bumpy ride for the both of them. They needed a break from all of the rustle and bustle they'd experienced, so the two set off for their hometown, Izumo, Japan. They were three quarters of the way there when they stopped at a familiar convenient store (which was actually where they went for their first unofficial date. Yoh was probably the only one who remembered it since he deemed it such an important moment) before making the final stretch home.

Yoh had cut his sentence short because of the look he saw Anna have on her flawless face as he got closer. She was sitting Indian-style staring up at the clouds with her hands clasped together in her lap with a rare expression of slight worry on her face. Just looking at her made the shaman's heart flutter. Even he knew that he was married to such a rare beauty but every fiber in Yoh's being told him that something was wrong. She was looking up at the sky so intently, something he hardly saw doing. Her gaze was always delierate, straight-forward, and with purpose...never a need to be lost in thought because she remained calmed and collected at all times. In truth, it kind of reminded him...of himelf.

Which was very weird

He always knew her to be his oppisite in almost everything, which in no way was a bad thing. When it was needed most, she would be there to keep him line or remind him of something he had completely overlooked. And at this moment, it was apparent she was out of her element.

"Anna…" he addressed her again since she didn't even flinch let alone look in his direction when he walked up next to her, sat down, and handed her the cup of coffee he had bought from the store to her. "Are you ok?"

She hardly even acknowledged him. Her only response was a slight sigh she let escape. She received his purchase with one hand, taking a small sip out of, it and put it onto the ground next to her. Without warning, she suddenly fell back onto the grass (which shocked him) and pulled Yoh's arm hard enough to pull him down to where he hovered directly above her (which shocked him even more).

"Anna…!" he didn't know how to respond to her unusual behavior. She was acting so strange. He just hovered above her with his long black hair tickling her forehead and the fact that she had a vulnerable disposition was making him feel even more uncomfortable with the situation. Her face was unsure and her bright almond eyes glistened under the shadow his body was casting over her. She appeared like she was on the verge of crying and she looked up at him with such an enduring expression, asking, begging him for an answer he couldn't seem to give her.

"Anna…" he addressed her once again as calmly as he possibly could. At this point, he was ready to lift her off the ground and just embrace his wife…anything to get that look of dismay off her face. "Tell me, what's wrong."

Her mouth slightly opened and four words slowly came out that Yoh thought he would never hear her say.

"I can't do this…"

"What do you mean?" he asked still trying to grasp her words. What DID she mean? What she said seemed so inconceivable to him. The words she spoke seemed so out of place that goose bumps ran across his skin. What was she talking about? In another moment, she looked as if she regretted even saying anything. She turned her heard darting her eyes away in an instant and the tears rolled down her cheek.

"I can't face him. I…I spent so long trying to convince myself that what we did was ok..."

She was still speaking in abstract. It was complicated, even for him to understand. Yoh just waited in solemn anticipation trying to decipher the meaning to her words. For as long as he had been engaged and married to this woman, there were still so many things he didn't understand about her. Even as he listened, he felt like she was on a totally different level of thinking. It was times like this that he wondered if his carefree personality she said she had fallen in love with so long ago was worth living if it meant watching his wife take on so much responsibility by herself. Eh, maybe he was thinking too hard…maybe he wasn't. One thing was for certain. He was bound to never really know the true answer. Somehow, he was sure of it.

"…Yoh, was it right to leave Hana alone?"

His heart suddenly softened and sank all in one. Everything she was thinking about so desperately suddenly became clear to him.

She was worried about facing their son.

"Anna, we had no choice but to leave him while we traveled. You said it yourself."

She frowned, "Don't you _dare_ remind me," she suddenly snapped which made Yoh instinctively flinch. Her face returned to consolidation almost instantaneously, "Even to this day, I regretted even thinking of doing that, even if we left him with Tamao and Ryu. I promised myself that I was going to be a proper parent in his life...but I failed him."

There was no arguing with her there. Even when they were young, having children was a major issue (more so to her than to him) and they had sworn to be faithful to their furture children and would always be there for them. But time went on and things changed, things they had no power over. Yoh didn't become Shaman King and because of their circumstances, they had to leave their son behind…two promises very dear to Anna were now broken regardless if Yoh meant to or not.

"What am I supposed to say to him once we get home…that there were more important things that I had to do that didn't concern him? Had to skip out on raising you to go take care of people I don't even know?" Anna's rhetorical question brought on an even heavier atmosphere. Yoh was at a loss for words. He himself had to come to grips with it. What was he supposed to say to his _son_ …his namesake…the very child he was so proud of having as his own?

This was indeed a heavy thought to dwell on. To Yoh, seeing Anna vulnerable like this was a shot to his pride. He had promised to never allow her to get overwhelmed enough to cry like this again, to do everything in his power to stop any and all harm that came to him. And yet, here they were. She was uncomfortable, unsure, and worried. And he was just sitting there, diffident of what to say to her. He wanted to calm her down, but he was totally incapable of doing so.

And what was he doing? He was out of his comfort zone as well. His usual lackadaisical personality was being overwhelmed by a heavy atmosphere of reverence. It felt alien to him. A knot developed in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't right. How was he supposed to help Anna when they were both in the same state?

"Please…Yoh," her bottom lip began to tremble as her teary wide eyes stared into his. "I'm just...at a loss right now."

Then, the answer suddenly became clear to him….the way he could always be able to help her.

Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? This was not the time for him to crumble under the pressure. He always thought optimistically and now wasn't the time nor the place to stop. His optimism was the reason why he made friends so easily, the reason Hao changed his mind about destroying the human, and the reason why Anna loved him. Even in impossible and out of the question situations, he was always the hope and light in the midst of darkness. He needed to be strong. He needed to be there for her. She needed him and that's all that mattered.

His smile suddenly caught Anna off guard.

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips letting his hair fall about her neck and shoulders. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him embracing the overwhelming comfort she was receiving from him, breathing a sigh of sudden relief. In the midst of her disheveled mind, he somehow always figured a way to bring her security. Her worries suddenly seemed weightless when she was in his arms.

"Everything will work out in the end. I f anything, we'll face things together," he whispered into her ear. She had heard him say similar expressions thousands of times and it always surprised her hearing the amount of confidence that lingered on it. And every time, she believed him, no matter how annoying he might have been at the time. And up until now, he hadn't been wrong. So, she put her trust into what he said.

He lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her as well, "Have faith Anna. He's our son. I'm sure he'll understand. All we have to do is explain things to him."

It was such a simple and ignorant thing to say, but when it came out of Yoh's mouth, she felt so relieved to hear him say it. All the weight of guilt was lifted off her shoulders in an instant.

She hugged him tightly and put her head on his shoulder closing her watery eyes, "Thank you, Yoh."

"You're welcome," he snickered taking her by the hand. "Then, let's get going, shall we?"

The two walked down the grassy hill and continued their trek down the dusty road into Izumo. Anna turned to him suddenly with a slight frown on her face.

"If you so as much think about telling the others about me losing face just now, I swear I'll kill you and send your soul to Hell."

He giggled turning to her and kissing her on the forehead, "Tehe, I understand. My lips are sealed." But he distinctively knew that deep down; she was totally capable of doing just that. So, until the day he died, he never, ever, EVER spoke a word of it.

She suddenly gave him a smile which automatically made his face red, "I love you Yoh."

"...I love you too," he finally said embarrassed.

 _ **(Let it be noted that when Yoh and Anna finally got home, they were greeted by Hana immediately who abruptly gave his father a Welcome Home Kick to the crotch. Anna then realized that she didn't have to worry about disappointing her son afterwards.)**_


	5. The Last Train Ride Home

_-The Last Train Ride Home-_

 _September 10th, 1945_

Anna stared at the pocket watch she had in her hand, her palms slightly sweating from anxiety and taking them out and quietly blowing her warm breath across them. It was a lot colder today than it was since autumn started, weird so early in the fall season, so she was bundled up in two overcoats, neither of which were hers, and a scarf in order to evade the harsh wind chill. She stood almost motionless on the vacant train platform as the distant birds chirped and the trees rustled their leaves in the distance. She took a bite out of the slice of melon bread she had in her pocket, her jaws tense from the shivers.

Anna had been standing there for five hours waiting for a train that was supposed to be there within five minutes. On board, were the last soldiers of Izumo returning home from battle.

The war was over, much to her relief, but also to her dismay. She prided herself in her people, her country, but the idea of defeat rocked her to her core. Japan had surrendered to the United States on September 2nd, 1945 after taking a heavy toll in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It bothered her knowing that it had to get to such a point, far from her home in Tokyo, that the Emperor refused to lay down arms, but she could still see why. The pride of the Japanese was strong, but after reading in the newspaper the devastation received in the two cities made her physically sick. Very little war reached her front door, but she continued to keep up with the current events until it ended, the fire bombings further south, and the people that became homeless and stranded because of it, and even though she had no relatives or knew anyone outside Izumo, she could still feel compassion for those who lost so dearly. When things began to turn for the worst, she didn't realize it would hit so close to home for her as well.

She remembered when he came home and announced he had enlisted in the Navy. She wore a blank expression, knowing that where he was going, death soon followed. She hated the war, the idea of war in general, and the fact that war was taking him away from her. The fighting and the killing, it solved nothing, and it only brought about pain and misery to both sides, to the people she didn't know and those she did.

The day of his departure had come too quickly. She was outside that afternoon putting up sheets on the clothesline, admiring the glistening summer sun when he came up behind her, wrapped his hands around her waist and hugged her tightly.

" _I have to go."_

There were only two things on her mind when he said those distasteful words; what was she going to with all of the extra food she had just cooked, and how lonely she was going to be when he was gone.

She turned around to face him and smiled placing her arms around his neck, _"So soon, lieutenant?"_

Yoh Asakura, fully dressed in pure white garb, his long black hair cut back short, and tied into a pony tail that came down to the back of his collar, and dignified naval cap rested on his head.

…He l _ooks so young, like back when we were kids._

He wore a soft and melancholy smile, _"Yes, I board the train in fifteen minutes. Want to walk with me there?"_

" _Of course,"_ she said without hesitation. She dropped her chores, took his hand, and led him through the house, and out the front door and down the dirt road that ran adjacent to her home.

Their walk was silent, not like the usual rambunctious conversations they had. It was the same road they both grew up on in the same providence. Many nostalgic moments happened on this old dirt road. They used to go to school this way, ran down towards the river to catch fish and shrimp, and more recently, it was the same road that he confessed his love to her, dropping her off after a trip they took to Hinomisaki with some friends from school to go to the beach. But now, they were departing for the first time in years. It felt weird and heart-wrenching, but they were both careful to show it.

" _You're going to write?"_ she said softly looking up at him after squeezing his hand. He nodded in return.

"… _Everyday if I can."_

" _That's good. I'll be looking for them every day. I hardly have anything to do but read and write back these days."_

" _I don't think I can every single day though."_

She frowned, _"Why not?"_

The sudden change in her tone surprised him, but he smiled back, _"Well, I AM helping in saving Japan. Just know that when I'm not writing, I'm fending off the enemy."_

There was a small pause before she said anything else, _"…Do you really think they're the enemy?"_

He took a second to think about his choice of words, _"…in all honesty Anna, anyone that threatens my home is an enemy."_ He looked down at her, _"I have my family to protect. I have you to protect, right?"_

She punched him in the arm making him recoil in slight pain.

" _Ow, what was that for?"_

She turned away with a pouting face, _"You were waiting this entire time to use that line."_

He couldn't help but laugh, _"You got me."_

Anna knew it wasn't in Yoh to kill. Naturally, it wasn't in anyone to just kill another man, regardless of what shore he sailed from. The thought of him doing something like that was almost maddening. She didn't want him to. Killing does things to people that is irreversible. But when the day came that he enlisted, she saw something ignite in his eyes, something she had never seen in him before, and gave her reassurance.

Pride.

It was a kind of pride that got him up early in the morning two months before his deployment. He would go running and come back and train and tone his body to make sure he was in peak physical condition. He was quite self-conscious around her, what with his recent confession and all, but there was a night when she was cooking dinner for his family, and she went to his room to let him know the food was ready, only to find him shirtless, changing out of his work attire. The plate of tea she had in her hands dropped to the floor. Before he could say anything, she walked off and bid the family goodnight, running all the way back to her house.

The results of his hard work were quite apparent, but his usual lax personality was slowly replaced by a driven, determined persona. And along with it, she could feel herself acting in a similar manner, finding opportunities to help him train ( _which were much to his displeasure due to her strict training methods_ ) and improve in other aspects in her own life. It showed just how much they were impacting each other in the long run.

In no time at all, they had made it to the train station and he was on the other side of the platform staring back at her.

" _Do you know when you'll be back?"_

He shook his head, _"I don't. I am a lieutenant after all. I may not come back until this whole ordeal is over unfortunately."_

By then, she could have sworn something had flown into her eyes to make them swell with small tears. But before they could fall, he scooped her up in his arms and stole a passionate kiss, leaving her breathless. To say she was unprepared would have been a terrible understatement.

" _I'll be seeing you then,"_ he tipped his hat and grinned.

The train doors slid to a close and he was off leaving her on the platform surrounded by dozens of stunned onlookers. She WAS unable to process what had just happened. Soon, the weight of all the peering eyes were too much for her to bear, and she ran home, both embarrassed and excited at the same time.

Lieutenant Yoh Asakura left in 1941. Time past, but he wrote to her often. She practically lived by the mail box waiting for his consistent stream of letters. Summer slowly turned to fall and back to spring, and she could tell there was a change in him through the words that he wrote on the scraps of paper he could find aboard the battleship he was sailing on. He never specified too thoroughly, of course he didn't want her to worry, but she knew that if it wasn't terrible, it was too much to put into words, but he somehow knew how to keep a smile on her face. He would crack the occasional joke even though it seemed a bit out of place due to the military status he had apparently climbed to through the years he had been at sea.

" _Captain Asakura,"_ she had to say it out loud to herself as she placed the folded letter on the table. It had a nice ring to it. She was dating a captain. And if it came up in conversation at the local market or someone she had happen to be standing next to at a crosswalk, she was obliged to letting people know, and wouldn't let them forget it.

Anything she could do to help from her home, she did. She had a small garden growing in the back, small flowers here and there, but she replaced them with fruit and vegetables and beans, sending them south along with her reply letters to aid the naval forces. It didn't feel like much, but it was all she could do, and she was determined to tend to her plants. In a few months, she had to tear down her fence to let her thriving orchard grow. Eventually, she was known throughout the region as the Garden Girl one of the many people who help aid in the war effort.

But things began to ran cold as the years dragged on. The time in between his letters came to her mailbox grew longer and longer, till eventually, they stopped coming all together. It was at the moment, her world stood still. For four long months, not one letter came from him. She had no way of knowing how he was doing, where he was, or if he was even...even—

No.

She refused to be presumptuous. News hadn't come to her or his family about him, so remind defiant. She would be patient and content in knowing that he was out saving Japan like he had said.

* * *

Then the newspaper came.

A bomb had been dropped in Hiroshima.

There was no need to for it anyway.

She could have sworn that she felt the world shake the day that it dropped. She knew something incredible and unnatural had happened.

It caused terrible damage in its wake, killing hundreds of thousands of people. A sinking feeling was in her stomach. Who the hell were these Americans? Who exactly was Japan fighting? Where was the humanity? How was Yoh doing in all of this? Where was he? Her nights grew long and restless as she stared up at the ceiling, heart throbbing out of her chest. She didn't know what to think anymore. She was so used to being able to analyze and rationalize a situation, but her head was swimming. Not a single thing she thought of in her wildest dreams could have prepared her for this. There were too many things that she couldn't answer on her own. Should she go look for him? No, she had to keep telling herself that she was more of an asset if she were stay and continue to help in any way she could.

Yes, she still hoped. That was the only thing she could do. And how dare she not? She wasn't the only person in that situation. So many others were waiting for loved ones to come back home. Somewhere else, there was another young girl standing outside her door, waiting for her love to come down the road to scoop her up in his arms and say everything was going to be alright. If hope was going to fade, she was going to be the last to lose it, maybe never lose it. She forced herself to bed and wake up early to go to the shrine and pray. She would take a long walk afterward to clear her restless mind. In the afternoon, she would go to the Asakura household and clean the quarters and fix dinner for them. Because of their wealth, they didn't need such a luxury coming from her, but she could tell they were grieving like her being that they had received little to no information about their son's whereabouts. They confided in one another, now knowing that Anna was quite fond of their son. Of course, they knew they were childhood friends, but their current relationship was quite a hot topic during evening meals in spite of growing tensions. Both parents and grandparents grew fond of her in no time at all and teased her often about her apparent crush on Yoh.

They admired her strong will and determination as well, something that was growing faint in the people of Izumo, but even if she was feeling unsteady, she never showed it. She kept her head held high and encouraged others to hold fast and be strong, an example of faith and integrity. And faith was contagious. Wherever she went, people's morale grew just by being near her. And it was sorely needed.

Then August 9th came.

And the world grew silent as the devastation came again to Nagasaki. Anna could only think of Yoh, hoping, praying that he was somewhere safe, anywhere safe thinking of her and wishing to come home. That's all she wanted…for him to come home.

Or was that just wishful thinking?

* * *

Well, wishful thinking was the thing that brought her out on the vacant train platform in the first place. After Japan surrendered to the United States on September 2nd, it came in the newspaper that the men of the military were coming back home by the hundreds starting September 4th. Without a doubt, she was one of the first people there when she heard the news that Yoh might be aboard the first train back to Izumo. But it was for naught. One train came down the track that day, and he was nowhere to be found. She came back up the hill to the Asakura house with a knot in her stomach, unable to comprehend why he wasn't there.

Only one train?

So many men from the prefecture of Izumo left and so few came back. There must be an explanation. That night, she found one of the men who came back and asked if there was a reason so few returned.

He informed her that the trains were running slow due to the bombing and over the next few days, the soldiers would pack on as many as they could. That in itself calmed her down.

Of course he would allow others to return home before him. That was just part of his kind-hearted nature. She would wait for him. She had to.

And so, for the next few days, she stood on the platform of the train station among the midst of families and friends who waited for their loved ones. And like clockwork, the train would arrive at ten o' clock in the morning, screeching to a halt, and the doors would fling open.

Tears would fall, many different kind of tears…

Fear.

Happiness.

Pain.

Passion.

And the platform would clear.

But Yoh was nowhere to be seen.

It went on for three days. She knew that it was growing futile when she noticed that she was the only one waiting for the train to come over the horizon by the 6th. Those that would be coming to Izumo had already come back, or were never coming back at all.

She was tired. Her legs were growing heavy. And she hadn't slept at all.

She felt weak, but in the midst of her apparent sadness, she was content. If Yoh never stepped off that train and embraced her like he used to, she would truly be content in knowing he fought for her and his country. After all, that was all that mattered, right?

She could see the train in the distance. The grip she had on the pocket watch grew tighter with each passing second.

" _Please be on there."_

She had read in the newspaper that morning that the last of the soldiers were making their way home by now. This could be the last train ride that could have a soldier on it coming into Izumo. If he wasn't on this one, he may never be.

Her breathing became heavy as the locomotive cast a passing shadow over her as it came to a slow halt.

The doors flew open and the occasional pedestrian and native came flooding out, leaving her in a sea of unfamiliar people. She scanned as many faces as she could, trying to distinguish him from the rest. But after a few painstaking moments, she realized that it shouldn't have been this hard. He was tall, dark hair, dark gem-like eyes, she would recognize him in an instant, wouldn't she? Did the war change him that much? No, she trusted herself. She knew his face.

" _Please be here."_

She turned a few times in every direction, squinted her eyes, trying to pick him out amongst the crowd, but to no avail. He wasn't there. Soon, the last of the people aboard the train trickled off and the doors slid close. In another moment, the train sounded off and pushed forward and away down the tracks towards its next destination somewhere far, far away. She watched for as long as she could as it disappeared over the distant hills, a faint thought crossing her mind.

 _Maybe he fell asleep on the train…sounds like something he would do._

She ultimately dismissed the idea all together and placed the watch back in her coat pocket and blew on her hands again to warm them.

 _Time to go home, I suppose..._

Then she heard a voice.

 _"Anna."_

She twirled around and her eyes widened in honest to God shock.

It was him.

It was Yoh.

He was in a black suit with golden shoulder pads, a string of medals on the left of his chest and his hat in his hands, a single suitcase sitting at his feet next to his shiny black shoes. His hair had grown longer, tied into a braided ponytail, something she didn't think the Navy would allow, but she was glad they made an exception for him. His eyes were soft and dark circles were under them, but even his obvious tired features didn't stop him from standing erect and wearing a calming smile.

 _"I'm home—_ "

She had seized him in an instant, unable to contain herself any longer. She cried deep into his chest. It only grew worse when she felt his arms wrap around her and his chin rested on the top of her head.

Four years.

Four long years, she didn't see him, didn't hear him. Smell him. Feel him. Touch him. It was indescribable how painful it was to be separated from him. He was her sanity. She couldn't remember life before him and time stood still without him being there. Just being in his arms made everything right with the world.

 _"I'm sorry I couldn't write you. I…_ "

 _"Stop talking,"_ he could hear her murmur through her tears. _"Just let me stay like this."_

The sudden embrace must have caught him off guard, but he was still to do anything to stop it. It had been years since he had seen her face, since she had seen his. It was fine to indulge in each other's company after so long. But soon after her tears dried up she could practically feel him blush, which made her embarrassed as well realizing what she had just said and did. She had completely forgotten how premature their relationship had been before he left. Suddenly throwing herself onto him was an exceedingly high jump way too far in the right direction.

Baby steps.

She pushed him away and turned her back to him, trying desperately to regain what little composure she had left. She was a ball of emotional confusion, her mind and heart racing with thoughts of excitement and pure bliss. She looked over her shoulder to see that he had looked away as well, ears and cheeks red, not quite sure what to say.

He looked at her after letting out a long sigh, "You look nice."

She turned back to him, wiping a finger under her now stuffy nose, still unable to look him in the eye, "You look tired. I'll carry your bag, if you want."

"Thank you."

The silence between them began to tear at the truth of the matter once more and she looked at him directly, "How have you been?"

His smile grew weighted, "Lonely."

She didn't want him to say that, even though there was no way from her to stop it. The war was something they couldn't control; they were both apart of something much bigger than they could have ever imagined. Neither one of them were the same person that left each other at the train station four years ago. They had both gone through pain, trials, and tribulations. How were they going to pick up the loose ends after so long? These thoughts started to plague her mind before he even left. She knew he wasn't going to be the same man when he came back. The uncertainty scared her if she were to be honest. Who was going to be stepping off that train the faithful day?Who was the man standing in front of her now? And was she the woman he needed now? Even as she stared back into his eyes, there was no real way of knowing then and there. She knew deep down, there was pain she couldn't even begin to imagine that even now, he tried to conceal to keep her worry at bay.

But she had prepared for that long ago. No matter how long it would take, she just wanted him to know that she was there for him no matter what. She walked up to him and slid her hand across his cheek and kissed him, standing on her tip toes to reach his lips. She slowly parted, savoring every fiber of the moment. She smiled as his cheeks grew rosy. She bent down and took hold of the suitcase. It was a lot lighter than she had first thought. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You won't have to be lonely anymore. I promise. Shall we go?"

He took hold of her hand and they began to walk down the steps of the train platform and towards the dirt road that led towards her home, the same road they always walked down when they were kids. A feeling of nostalgia fell over her. She then took off one of the overcoats she had on and draped it across his shoulders. He tugged on it looked down at her solemnly. He then placed his officer's hat on her head.

"Thank you."

She smiled back tipping the cap in response, "You're welcome. And welcome back."


	6. A Number and a Name

_\- A Number and a Name -_

It had come in the mail that afternoon and it was now open on the small kitchen table and Yoh sat with his mouth slightly open and Anna was sitting opposite him with an expressionless face, not entirely sure what to do with the new information.

Sitting in front of them, creased in three areas on the paper to fit into a standard envelope, and stamped with an European government official stamp was Anna Asakura's birth certificate.

How it came into the possession of Yoh and Anna was completely thanks to Lyserg Diethel. After he had taken up a lawyer profession in London, he had obviously taken the liberty of doing a skiddish background check on all of his friends, moreso out of lackluster interest and honestly, it was something to pass the time while he was in between cases, but when his computer cursor came across Anna Asakura, the complete lack of information there was on her before the Asakura family adopted her was intriguing to say the least. He had taken it upon himself to find what he could of Anna's past and was assured his childhood friends that he'd send it to them as soon as he could. Of course, it was of no consequence and Yoh and Anna assured him, although it would be appreciated, that he not take too much time on the task. So, the investigation took several years and an increasingly large amount of dead ends.

But Lyserg was not one to give up willingly. And sure enough, after three years of looking sporadically, he came across Anna's official birth certificate.

And without much ceremony other than a phone call stating they were to receive an envelope in the mail within the week, it arrived just as he said.

And here they were, sitting there, looking at an item that they thought they would have never seen in their entire lives.

And the first thing that Yoh said after a long moment of silence was:

"Wait, so you're actually older then me?"

Anna almost burst out laughing, but stopped with a swift cover-up of her hand.

Given the wealth of information that was just presented to them, her loveably simple-minded husband would of course point out something that was on a different level of significance to her. But in order to humor him, she checked the date again, and sure enough...

"Well...yeah, I guess so."

Yoh was born on May 12, 1985 and Anna's certificate read June 1, 1983, two years in age difference. So that would put her at twenty-five and he at twenty-three presently.

She glanced up at him and found a look of what she could only place was consternation on his face. She smiled underneath her hand which was still concealing her mouth.

"Is that a problem?"

He shot her a look of surprise and said quite sharply, "N-no, of course not!" He glanced back down at the certificate and frowned again. She could tell it bothered him to a degree and she took slight humor in that.

She had always felt a little bit more mature than him; being on the Earth two years longer only solidified it. But clearly it mattered far less to her than it did to him. She just hated that she missed out on so many opportunities of getting him to potentially call her "senpai" when they were still in high school.

He suddenly spoke in a thoughtful and mullish tone. "It's just that...we've been celebrating your birthday on the wrong day this entire time."

She leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands underneath the table sighing, "You know, Yoh, I was never one for celebrating my birthday to begin with. You just insist on it every year and I always say something along the lines of 'please, you don't have to', or something like that."

"I know..." he said with slight exacerbation, "but still...I feel like we've just been getting it wrong this whole time, and we won't be able to get a do-over."

She knew that this rather simple matter apparently meant a lot to him, so she relented on saying anything else to the opposite effect. She just wanted to remove that sullying look off his face, so she reached across the table and took hold of his hand with hers.

Like a puppy being comforted after being scolded, his eyes brightened slightly.

"Look, if it'll make you feel any better, we can start celebrating it on the proper date. Sound good?"

He nodded after a moment and a small smile graced his lips. She returned it, glad to be rid of his concern.

There was only one thing that was worse than an angry Anna in Funburi Inn. And that was a sad Yoh. Neither were particularly pleasant.

"Right, well," Yoh said straightening in his chair. "I suppose there are other things to look at as well." She receded back into her own chair letting go of his hand and slid the paper closer to her so she could make out the faded words.

The most apparent thing was that the original birth certificate was in German, so Lyserg had it translated and sent the revised version in the same envelope as well, so Anna had them side-by-side so she could decipher it.

"It says," she started, "that my father's name was Anton Shulz and my mother was Colette Sinclair and I was born in a clinic in Postdam; I can't pronounce the name of the clinic, but I do know that Postdam is just west of Berlin, the capital of Germany." she paused after taking another look at her birth name once more. "...hmm, it says I was born, Anna Sinclair..."

She paused again, not entirely too sure what to make of that.

Huh.

 _Did...does that mean they weren't married when they had me?_

"...Anna?" Yoh's voice chimed in breaking her train of thought. She blinked and lifted her eyes from the paper. "Hm?"

Yoh's frown had returned, but in the same manner that it had been before. He was now genuinely concerned for her. "You ok?"

She placed the certificate down and shook her head, closing her eyes lightly.

She...she didn't like this.

This mindset she had now found herself dwelling in.

This didn't feel right.

Lyserg meant well, of course he did, he was a friend, and to a degree, she was grateful what he had done for her family.

But with this certificate, this small clue into her past, a wave of questions she had long since abandoned had begun to rear it's ugly head again, like a coagulated cut that was being irritated again after trying to heal.

Questions that she had thought of for many _many_ hours in the cold and in the dark of her room.

When she was angry.

When she had no control.

When she was alone.

 _Why was I abandoned?_

 _Did my parents just not love me?_

 _Why do I have these powers?_

 _Why_

 _Why?_

 _WHY?_

She squinted in grim concentration.

An older, more mature version of her had used calculated reason to figure what might have happened to bring her to who she was now.

Her parents were inexperienced and didn't have the tools nor the fortitude to deal with her.

But reason did little for that still hurt part of herself. She had been able to silence that piece of her soul, but it wasn't gone completely.

Deep down, there was still that broken and abandoned little girl.

And now, she had a name.

Anna Sinclair.

 _Problem child_

No...she could read minds at the time, could decipher people's thoughts and feelings without their consent. And from there, her powers then manifested those thoughts into demons, into oni, into monsters. It was far too much for any normal person to handle on their own.

 _They could have put you up for adoption_

They...they were in Japan...Izumo, Japan at the time...

 _Where they abandoned you_

Maybe her powers could've put them in danger then, like it did for Yoh when they first met...

 _You don't know that for sure..._

No, but what good is it to dwell on it? It's pointless to-

 _Hao could read minds when he lost his mother. What if you have a repressed memory of losing one of your parents?_

She had thought about that as well, but no matter how much she thought about it, the vague images of both her parents were as clear as they ever would be. From what she understood, she was born with the ability.

 _Maybe you got your powers by some other means. Abuse? They really didn't love you?_

That's absurd! She would've remembered something like abuse. Who knows? Does it even matter now? Did it ever matter?

 _It still matters to you. You know that._

It...I...

"Anna...?"

Anna's eyes slowly opened with Yoh looking back at her sternly. Only a few seconds had elapsed in her sudden vow of silence, but in those few moments, it was enough to send him on high alert.

"I'm fine, Yoh..." she said calmly.

"Do you want to call them?"

His question was startling, but she didn't show it.

"Call them?"

"Yeah," he reached into the envelope and pulled another sliver of paper with a few hand written sentences on it. "Lyserg said he was able to track down an address and a number."

He handed the paper to her and her breath caught in her throat as the potential weighed on her mind. Sure enough, there was a single phone number abbreviated by hyphens. in between at irregular intervals.

She stared at the number for a long moment, then back up at her husband who hadn't completely abandoned his concern.

"It's a lot to consider, I'm sure..." he said it moreso to himself rather than to her, but either way, she regarded him in surprise.

One thing that Anna absolutely loved about Yoh was his innate ability to just read her emotions without her saying next to nothing and inserting his thoughts in alignment with hers with near-perfect precision. She was sure she had not betrayed what she felt by showing it on her face, not because she was trying to hide anything from him, but being an introvert, she lived more in her head rather than in the moment.

She was thoughtful. Aggressive when needed. Concise. And did not speak unless she needed to. Very few people made her act otherwise, Yoh and her son, Hana, being one of those few.

But even then, when she was not provoked into acting otherwise, she indoctrinated a more reserved persona. And in doing so, Yoh had stepped into equal pacing with her, picking up subtle hints as to what might be going on in her mind. And very few times was he wrong.

She didn't have to explain much. He just knew.

He just understood people in that certain way. In spite of being shunned like her. In spite of being hated like her.

He just knew.

And because he knew her, she knew him too.

And she loved him all the more.

"I won't call," she finally said simultaneously placing the paper down and taking hold of his hand once more. He perked up in curiosity and remained silent, hoping to glean an explanation out of her.

She obliged, "There are so many unanswered questions behind who I was before Kino, your grandmother found me and took me in. You know that, and so do I. It's nice to know my parent's names, but I don't think it's all that necessary to find out more than that. Not after so long. And it's not as if I don't think it's not important..." She squeezed his hand softly and smiled. "...but you and Hana are more important to me. This life we've carved for ourselves, the things we've achieved, that was because we were together.

"You're my family now, and as far as I'm concerned, the Asakura's have always been my family."

She paused and inhaled slowly still holding his mesmerized gaze.

"I love you, Yoh. More than anything."

"I..." his face flushed in that endearing kind of way which always made her heart race. He was only embarrassed when Anna felt a need to be honest with how she felt about him. And why shouldn't she?

Ever since they were kids, she had stated it like it was a nature-abiding law.

But it was only human of her to react in a slightly timid way when he respond in kind.

"...thank you." he said trying to compose himself once more as she did her best to calm her rapid pulse.

Yeah, she was ok with this. Maybe, some day, she would call that number. And maybe, she'd get answers, be it irrelevant or not.

But not right now.

Right now, she was Anna Asakura.

Not Anna Sinclair.

She wasn't a hurt little girl anymore.

She wasn't alone.

She was strong.

She had friends.

She had a husband. She had a son.

And she was happy.

 _That will suffice for now_. she knowingly thought.

After a moment of silence, she crossed her arms and smiled mischievously, "So...I'm older than you, huh? I married a younger man. Does that make me a cougar or something?"

Yoh's eyes dilated, obviously surprised with her question and his internal deliberation as to trying to figure out if his wife was being serious.

This frustration was what she was hoping for. She knew that little bit of information had bothered him more than he had led on.

"I...don't think that's how a cougar works, Anna" he said scratching the back of his head, uncomfortable with the change in conversation.

"Really?" she said playfully propping her head in her hands, elbows firmly planted on the table. "I don't know. I kinda like the idea. Puts a little twist on our relationship if you think about it."

Yoh suddenly jumped in his seat feeling the sensation of skin contact from under the table. Anna had started sliding her foot up and down his leg in a sensual manner. He looked at her and her sly grin only widened.

"You married an older woman, and you didn't even know it. Are you going to take responsibility, young man?"

His brow furrowed at the mention of him being called a "young man" and he cleared his throat in retort. "You're older than me by just two years, that's all. Not that big a d-."

He was startled once again by the escalation of her little game of footies. She had used his lapse in concentration to wedge her foot in between his otherwise closed legs and spread them apart in one swift motion.

He looked at her in shock as his face grew hot.

She leaned it close towards him and whispered. "That's no way to talk to an older woman, Yoh. But don't worry." Her teasing paused at the inside of his thigh. "I guess I'll have to teach y-"

"MOOOM! DAAAAD!"

The front door of Funbari could be heard opening and being slammed shut followed by the rapid shuffling of feet up the adjacent hallway. Yoh and Anna quickly spun in attention as Hana came into view at the entrance of the kitchen.

"H-hey Hana," Yoh said genuinely grateful for the interruption.

Anna didn't feel the same way, "Hana, why is it that I have to repeat myself? One," she said shooting a finger in her namesake's direction. "Do not yell in the house. And two, take your sandals off at the door."

Hana looked down at his feet and quickly brought his gaze back onto his mother who was considerably upset. He bowed his head blond hair bouncing atop his head, "I'm sorry! I just forgot! I was just so hungry after training with Tamao and Alumi that I just came rushing in." He bolted back down hallway, voice booming through the otherwise quiet residence.

"Shit! I tracked dirt in here...Oh! Uh...um, Don't worry Mom! I'll clean it up!"

Anna slouched in her chair, and sighed, "Geez, the timing of that kid. I swear..."

* * *

 _ **a/n: the official Shaman King wiki states that by the end of the original story, and during the beginning of Shaman King: Flowers, Anna is around twenty-one. however, there's never a clear affirmative answer. and it does nothing to dampen the story in any way. i just wondered, you know? and hey, that's what fan fics are for, right? to explore different concepts in an otherwise excellent story...**_

 _ **anyway, hope you like it.**_


	7. Clash (Part 1)

_\- Clash -_

 _part 1_

He knew of the komuso monks. They were monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism, a people who had abandoned their identity in an exchange for a higher enlightenment, something he found to be a noble sacrifice. But after considerable amounts of thinking, he could see how lonely the life of one such person would be. But then again, the knowledge they supposedly received by doing so must have been worth all the tedious efforts. Going from place to place, eating alone, hardly talking, a basquete over one's head to cover the entirety of their face, praying and playing the flute for alms and meditation. It seemed liberating, but at the same time, it seemed to tear them from a normality he thought was all but inescapable. He was one who enjoyed the company of other people. Wisping that part of his life away would be gut-wrenching. No doubt he wasn't suited for a lifestyle like that.

Those thoughts wondered his mind when he saw one such monk on the side of the road as he walked by. On beautiful springs days like this, he took this road which ran paralell to a river and about a mile up the way was a bridge where he would cross into the the next town from his humble abode in the opposite direction. He would sit and meet with friends and family, patrol the streets to make sure simple things were kept in line, and the peace was being retained, all in the days work for a samurai like himself. And he couldn't ask for a better added bonus to his beautiful day and chipper mood than the sweet sound of the monk's flute being played elegantly. His skilled, delicate hands evoked the instrument into playing one gorgeous melody after another. He stopped a spell to listen to the rest of the song. In fact, he could have sworn he had heard it before, this one in particular. It was nostalgic which brought back recent memories, but he couldn't quite recall where it was coming from.

Maybe due to his many travels as of late.

"You sound absolutely amazing. Definitely lifting my spirits this afternoon," he said smiling. To his amusement, as the monk finished his song, he simply nodded with no other form of communication whatsoever. Typical monk banter, straight and to the point.

"You mind if I give you some alms for you troubles?" the samurai stepped forward with intention to drop the few coins he had in his pocket into the small bowl the komuso had on the ground next to him, but he soon noticed something out of place. Behind the monk was one irregularly-shaped bag. It was oddly sword-like in size and form, close enough to stop his advances and take a cautious step backwards. But by the time he did so, the monk had quickly un-sheathed a concealed knife from within his kimono and lunged forward at the samurai.

But the samurai was no fool. He knew that there had been cases that both shogunate spy and assassin would take up the guise of a monk to have the element of surprise on their targets. While not ever encountering a matter like, he had heard many a case before of a samurai falling prey to an outlaw in disguise. He jumped backwards away from the assailant's attack giving himself enough time to weaponize himself with his katana and when he regained his footing, he blocked the second barrage of attacks with ease and pushed the monk back kicking up dust from the road while doing so. They stood facing one another, the intent to kill emitting from his opponent.

"Well, that escalated quickly, wouldn't you say monk?" the samurai still retained a surprised, but authentic smile. "I didn't really think an assassin would take the time to learn to play the flute so skillfully just to kill someone. Have to say, you had me fooled for a moment...but only for a moment."

"You have no idea..."

Now, that was odd, he could have sworn he heard a woman's voice come underneath that basket. And as if to answer his query, the tengai hat was removed to in fact reveal that a woman was his attacker.

And she was undoubtedly beautiful, unlike any woman he had ever seen in his life. Her hair was a bright gold, like wheat and she had bright brown eyes and full lips. Her striking features almost incapacitated him, putting him in a daze, but he soon shook himself out of his wondered gaze. She had begun her next assault, this time, without the hindrance of hat blocking her field of vision. She struck without remorse, with strength he had only seen thus far in warriors he had thought to be the strongest he had ever faced. And yet, she had been dangerously close to slitting his throat, not once, but twice. Three times now with this small knife.

While knowing that his life was most certainly in danger, he couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach as their blades struck together. He genuinely didn't want to hurt her. Yes, it was apparent she had every intent on killing him, but curiosity had won over his train of thought. What had he done to enrage a beautiful woman like this? Did he arrest her once or something? Thrown her in jail after some midnight raid he and his men had thwarted a few months back? Was she simply mistaking him for someone else? It wasn't making sense.

She suddenly jumped in the air and landed a perfect kick to his jaw knocking him to the ground knocking his katana out of his hand. His inability to concentrate was going to be the death of him.

"Damn it," he cursed himself for not paying attention, but it was too late. The young woman descended upon him like a hawk on a field mouse, stopping the knife only centimeters from his Adam's apple, her eyes electrified with rage. His lie motionless trying not to tempt her from completing her execution, but she remained stagnant.

"...Yoh Asakura," she suddenly spoke, voice as velvety as her first menacing sentence. It almost made him blush if it weren't for the dagger pointed at his throat. She then arose and backed away from him, stance still aimed to attack at any moment. The samurai gathered himself as well, a look of curiosity evident on his face.

"Have we met?" this time, his question ensured him enough time to fully ready himself in a proper manner, making sure he wouldn't be caught off again. The woman's eyes however began to fill with tears, throwing hims off even more. What in the world was going on? First he was close to death, and now, he wished to console this obviously distraught woman.

"No, we've never met you _bastard_ ," she spat shooting him a fiery glare. "But I wish you did so it would be easier to kill you."

He said nothing, hoping to coax out an explanation. She obliged without pause.

"Your father, Mikihisa killed my family."

His breath caught in his lungs, "K-killed? I...I don't understand. Why would he?"

"He had every right to. My parents were thieves and murderers. He was just doing his duty as a samurai. I know that...but still. I had to grow up without them. If they loved anyone, they loved me. They cherished _me._ And I had to _watch_ as _your father, cut them down in cold blood_. AND I HAD TO HOLD THEM BOTH IN MY **ARMS AS THEY LAY DYING!** "

Her voice rung out into the distance, making his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

Yoh Asakura had heard this story before. It was one his father spoke little about, but on occasion, he would indicate to his son that the samurai were carries of burdens most would never have to endure, bearers of sins they themselves commit and the weight of others. That was the true price they had to pay in exchange for skill and power. He didn't quite understand what he meant by his words, but he knew by the expression on his father's face that he meant every word, and he respected him for it.

It was about the time Yoh was fourteen when his Mikihisa told him the truth about what he was so disconcerted about. It was a sin he committed early in his career. And he had regretted doing so ever since.

"I do know who you are," Yoh said. The girl's attention towards him sprang to life. Still, the sadness swept over him like an ocean waves crashing onto the shore. "My father told me about a man and woman he was ordered to hunt down and kill when he was a young man. After a month of tracking them down to Edo, he cut them down in the streets after a blazen fight between the two of them. The fight was quite the spectacle according to those who looked on." He paused finally able to steady his breathing, his gaze averting hers. "It was then that a small girl came from within the crowd crying hysterically clutching the man and woman in her arms. He had apparently slain her parents."

He looked up at her, "Anna Kyoyama was her name."

Her eyes widened as he continued, "He told me that he was overcome with guilt, so much, he turned and walked away from the scene without saying a word. He returned home soon after to my mother and I and said he was hanging up his sword and opening up a dojo which he did, me being his first student. First of many. I trained every single day, harder than the rest of his students, without a clear explanation as to why. Not until after he told me and my mother that he was dying of an illness. He had known that he was going to die and had been training me for a day like this. He was wrought with pain and anguish, moreso that he wasn't able to stay alive long enough for you to exact your revenge and trained me with the understanding that I would have to carry his sin for him until you came."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The once soothing spring air had become cold and bitter, nipping at the back of his neck. He tightened the grip on his sword as she sheathed her own knife and walked back over to the place she was standing on the side of the road. She had reached for the elongated bag in the grass and unwrapped it to uncover a katana of her own, onyx scabbard and a longer-than-usual tsuka, or handle. She made her way back onto the road and strapped the katana to her waist.

"You're willing to carry your father's sin?" her eyes narrowed, tears no longer evident. "You're a strange man, Yoh Asakura."

He smiled, "It's fate that it comes to this. I was ready for this since I was ten. Out of respect I dedicated myself to the sword so I could be able to face you to hear your answer. It was only right."

Her head tilted to the side analyzing him, "I have no personal grudge with you. I want you to know that. I am simply carrying out my duty that is avenging my parents. That is all. If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?"

"I don't know," he answered back immediately. "But I know it wouldn't have been too far from your decision, I'm sure."

They fell silent. He sheathed his sword and fell back into proper duel stance. As did she.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said. "I'm sorry you had to endure so much on your own."

She was hesitant for only a moment before speaking, "...I feel the same in a way. I apologize you had to abandon your childhood for the way of the sword."

He chuckled, something she wasn't expecting, "Well, it wasn't _all_ bad. I got to meet a beautiful woman. That's a win in my book."

She reluctantly smiled as well.

He really was a strange person.

The wind spiked as they flew towards one another, simultaneously drawing their swords.

The road was soon paved with blood...


	8. Tempo

_\- Tempo -_

Other than the all encompassing fact that Yoh and Anna Asakura were both respected shaman, they were very much normal people with very normal interests. Yoh liked watching television every now and then and had a few of his more favorable shows that he enjoyed following and Anna had a garden that she had brought into fruition without the help or guidance of anyone.

And collectively, they both enjoyed traveling and going to festivals and the amusement park. They both enjoyed the beauty of nature and photography and meeting new people. The latter was pretty much in their job description now that they were tasked to...for lack of a better term, "fix the world" at the request of Hao.

But there was one thing that they both loved, even though they both stood on the opposite spectrum of interest, and there they stubbornly stayed. It was like that since the very first day they met, and it had continued to be an unbridgeable gap up until the present day when both were in their mid twenties.

Their taste in music.

Anna was a connoisseiur of alternative and classical while Yoh preferred reggae and rock n roll, and their standpoints stayed true. They constantly debated in healthy fashion what genre was the better and tried the two tried on several occasions to introduce new artists to one another.

But regardless, they stood absolute on their opinions on the pivitol artists in their childhood, Ringo and Bob. And no matter what the other party said, they never budged.

But now, this particular night, their childhood nostalgia was the subject of conversation now that they had heard just hours earlier, something that had respectively blew their minds. Even Anna couldn't hold her exclamation in when the couple heard the Breaking News on television right before dinner that night.

It came as a shock to the entire musical world because of how closely guarded it had been. Turned out that Ringo Ayawa and Bob Love had been secretly married all these years ago, secretly dating since when Yoh and Anna had been in their early teens and now, after nearly twenty years of being married, they had finally confessed via public interview after an odd decision to do an international tour together. It had been an immense success, even Yoh and Anna had gotten tickets to one of their shows that landed in Osaka, Japan and it was a preserved memory that they would remember for a long time. Being that they were such big fans of either performance, being their responsibility, they had never been able to see the show in person.

But now, with this new information streaming all over the news, it was the main topic of discussion at the dinner table. The couple was in such high spirits, their son, Hana, had to be caught up to speed with what the hell they were actually talking about, and immediately gave up in caring, and excused himself from the table to hang out with his friends at the movies.

Their discussion lead far into the night however with the couple's minds metaphorically blown by the news and how it had changed how they saw their childhood.

"I mean...they're so different in terms of musical taste, even personalities," Yoh chimed in as he dried the last of the dishes in the sink, still in awe-struck wonder.

Anna nodded moreso in acknowledgement rather than agreement. She had just finished wiping off the kitchen counters and sat down at the table, hands in her lap, "You've got to understand that the persona we see on stage aren't who they truly are. It's an act, a performance. They're probably completely different people offstage."

"I know, but still, they had been performing for so long. You've got to think that at the very least, a part of who they truly are is evident when they play."

Anna paused finding the logic in her husband's words. Yes, Bob Love and Ringo Ayawa had been the pioneers in their respective genres of music for decades and they had played countless shoes all over the world, doing interviews, meeting fans, making albums, the life of a celebrity was always in the limelight of the public eye. There had to be pieces of of who they really were as individuals underneath the dance numbers and make-up. It was the reason why Anna enjoyed listening to Ayawa's music year after year.

The woman's lyrics were sad, dark, but they were also deep, methodical, and they were strangely relatable, especially during Anna's younger years. They gave definition to her emotions and whether or not they were comforting, Anna had appreciated Ayawa's work.

"I suppose you're right," finally spoke as she watched Yoh sit across from her, stretching his still damp fingers, wrinkled from the dish water.

"What I am so surprised about is how they had kept it a secret for so long," the itako admitted, brow furrowing slightly as she tried to wrap her mind around it. "I don't think I would have been able to do the same thing."

Yoh smiled thinking it over as well, "I don't know, Anna. You've always been capable of achieving pretty amazing things before. If it meant preserving your career, I think think you could. There's no telling."

"No," Anna said back plainly. "You competed in the S.F. and even then, I couldn't stay silent about my feelings towards you."

The way she stated her love for her significant other always sent Yoh's heart fluttering slightly. It send goosebumps up his arms and would always give him a great sense of pride in knowing someone so incredible loved him the way she did.

"Well," he started. "what if we grew in the same manner that Love And Ringo did? Do you think the outcome would be the same?"

"Like if we were reincarnated?"

"Just using it as an example."

She lulled it over in her head but ultimately wound up saying, "No, I think the outcome would be the same. We'd love each other in the end...regardless of the circumstances."

He smiled, "I feel the same. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Her comment left the two in a hushed atmosphere. Even Anna couldn't ignore how matter-a-fact she was stating her affection towards her husband. It had been a habit of hers to do so ever since they met.

To be honest.

To state the truth.

Exactly how she felt.

Towards anyone.

She had lived in her mind for years and now that she was in the company of those that cared for her just as much as she did for them, then she felt obligated to be as blunt with how she felt towards almost anything. Of course, there were times for her trademark discretion and harshness towards things that she felt needed to be changed immediately.

But in the presence of him.

In the presence of her husband.

He was going to receive her honesty whether he liked it or not.

And he never disliked it, or so it would seem from her vantage.

He was always kind. Always patient. Always mild-mannered.

And they complimented each other well, like intertwined string woven together. And she took pride in knowing that.

Yoh suddenly cleared his throat, "It's, ah...it's getting late. Wanna call it a night?"

She stretched, arms thrown above her head and rose from her chair with Yoh following, "Yeah, I'll go wash up before bed."

"Good idea. All this talk has worked up a sweat."

"Care to join me?" she said it so quickly, Yoh had barely noticed it, but he had been moreso surprised with himself when he complied without any consideration.

"Of course," he replied with a small nod of his head.

She turned her back to him and began to walk out of the room. She stopped at the entrance and slowly turned her head back in his direction with a look of what he could only compare to the look of a coy and playful cat.

"See you in a little bit," she almost whispered as she departed upstairs towards their room.

* * *

Five minutes had elapsed since their talk in the kitchen and Yoh had abandoned his attire for a towel which was wrapped around his waist. He was hunched over sitting on the bath stool, wiping the last of the soap off his arms and shoulders with his back turned to Anna who was standing behind him, dousing her limbs with warm water, rinsing off her own film of soap. He could hear the slight stall as the liquid fell from the pan in her hand to her skin and subsequently onto the floor and into the drain, the dripping akin to the sound of a light rain in summertime.

And even though he had found the life of being married to Anna Asakura had presented many an opportunity of seeing his wife in the nude, he still found it incredibly distracting in the most positive of ways. It was the exact case in this regard as well.

Though the condensation had settled in on the mirror in front of him, he could still make out her figure in the reflection behind.

And she was extravagant, almost ludicrous in how beautiful she was. Her bright blond hair was pinned up in a bun which stood in stark contrast to her pale skin.

She was like a living Greek statue of a water fairy, something of the mystic persuasion.

And to some extent, he had chalked up his opinion of her to some form of bias he had given that they were married, that he was so in love with her, even if she had some type of physical blemish, he wouldn't be able to see it. But even when they were out in public, he could see it.

The stares of those who saw her while they were on the train.

The gaping looks of wonder when they were out shopping.

He knew he wasn't alone in thinking she was gorgeous.

And he was proud in knowing he wasn't the only one who saw it.

"Into the bath?" she said walking up beside him, body turned towards their tub. He looked up at her and smiled allowing his eyes to slowly trail up from her legs to her eyes which were softer than normal, but never unyielding. He rose, stripping his towel off.

"Only if you join me," he replied.

He was the first one in sighing in deep satisfaction as he dipped into the warm water. She followed, left leg first and back facing him, she lowered herself into the water and slid backward till she was nestled comfortably on his chest. For a moment, neither said a word, their eyes closed and the only things to be heard were the sway of the bath, their synchronized breathing and the distant sound of car horns through the window.

It was Anna who broke the silence, "Yoh, do you remember a long time ago back when we first met and we sat in the living room of your grandmother?"

He thought about it, replaying the moment in his mind, a fond feeling of nostalgia enveloping him.

"Yeah, I do. I think that was the first time we figured out what kind of music the other liked. Wasn't Love and Ringo playing that night during New Years?"

She nodded, "And then I slapped you after I wound up reading your mind because I asked why you wanted to help me get control of my powers?"

He definitely remembered that.

A slap from someone as ferocious as Anna was not something a person would forget so soon. One would take pain like that to the grave.

But regardless, the thought brought a smile to his face, "Yeah, I'll never forget it."

She turned to face him slightly to the point where she could look into his eyes. Her countenance wasn't one he could decipher, but she soon explained, "Neither will I." She paused and frowned for a moment. "And not because I slapped you."

She faced him completely this time, sitting cross-legged and half-submerged in between his legs, her expression now grown to slight concern.

"I thought about it. And I finally think I've come to a realization." She leaned toward him and took hold of his left hand, rubbing her delicate fingers along his wedding band. "In that moment, I realized in that moment just how much you loved me. And it was the most genuine, honest thought I had ever come across. No one before had ever shown me such kindness..."

She fidgeted with his hand more and turned her head to the side, her bangs dancing in front of her brow as she obviously tried to conceal her embarrassment.

"...so thank you."

She heard him snicker which initially put her on the defensive, but she halted herself from saying anything when Yoh cupped her cheek with his hand.

It was warm and reassuring.

"You can get pretty sentimental sometimes, Anna. You never cease to surprise me when you do."

She frowned but found herself not being able to muster up the same fortitude she had been able to earlier.

Maybe it was the warm water.

Maybe it was the intimacy of the moment.

Or his soft onyx eyes that penetrated her defenses. Every single one of those defenses.

Every time.

It didn't matter. She gave in because she wanted to. And she had the liberty to do so every now and then.

She softened, speaking in a whisper and began to toy with one of his bangs that lied along his shoulder, "Don't make fun of me. I try not to make a habit of it."

"No, I like it. You should be like this more often."

She smirked looking him square in the eye, "You'd like that, wouldn't you? But not on your life. I just...like telling you sometimes, ok?"

She felt his hands pull her close and she shuddered from the skin contact.

"You know, sometimes, I like telling you too, right?"

He could feel her breath tickle his collar bone because she was so close and her hands were on his chest.

She said it in a breathless tremor just inches from his face, her gaze unraveling every fiber of reason and giving way to unbridled instinct and lust...

"Don't tell me right now. Just, show me."


	9. Suffer

_-Suffer-_

* * *

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon. A brisk wind blew through the trees stripping their branches of their brightly colored leaves. They danced about in the yard of Funbari Inn to a beat only Mother Nature could hear. Birds chirped in the nearby bushes and the normal hustle and bustle of the local city could be heard in the distance.

It was a type of day that you could find Yoh Asakura sitting on the roof of his humble abode soaking in the day's last twilight rays before it became nightfall.

But he wasn't there.

In fact, the carefree, simple-minded, shaman was nowhere to be found. The kitchen in the house and bedrooms lay silent to an eerie, almost choking atmosphere that flooded every corridor. And not a single ghost was present, not even Amidamaru. Simple and seemingly unnoticeable sounds resonated throughout Funbari. The slight drip from the kitchen sink, the air conditioner, it all became a mass of uneven resonations.

It was unsettling, even for Hao Asakura who was sitting in the living room sitting across the table from the beautiful itako, Anna. But at that moment, there was nothing beautiful at the current situation. If at all possible, it was like a shade of grey had been cast over the both of them in spite of all the color surrounding them.

Anna was in terrible condition. She was hunched over in her chair with a blanket across her shoulders that was recently placed there by Hao. When he walked inside, he found her in that state, not moving a muscle, ridden with malnutrition from not eating properly for at least two days. Her lips were shriveled and her beautiful dark eyes that were once full of life were now nothing but empty holes.

It pained him to see her like this, with hardly any life in her. It wasn't too long ago that she would have slapped him regardless of how powerful he had already become, but it was he himself who had brought her to her knees like this in the first place, which was why he was there…to settle things.

He cleared his now dry throat, "I'm going to get straight to the point Anna. You already know that Yoh is dead, body and spirit. He's gone…" he was reluctant to look her in the eye. "…and I killed him."

She said nothing. Still lifeless. Eyes still staring into nothing.

He continued, "You know that I was in pursuit of becoming Shaman King that I spent lifetimes becoming who I am now. And now, that goal is almost within reach." He clenched his teeth, "You…along with everyone else, knew that if you tried to oppose me that dire consequences would ensue. And in doing so, Yoh was killed."

Still nothing.

"But in my conquest for killing all of these wretched humans, I hope you would believe me to still be sensible. I have come to give you an opportunity in consequence for killing my brother…your fiancée. I hope that this moment can make up for a lifetime of pain you'll have to endure."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol and sat it on the table, "This is the weapon I used to kill Yoh. It's a pistol specified after Marion's own weapon. It's designed to kill both the body and soul. And in such, no one can withstand it…not even myself."

Anna's eyes slowly crept to look at Hao directly.

"Becoming Shaman King is what I have always strived to be, but in the grand scheme of things, I find it irrelevant if you are like this. I can't sit idly by and gain from your loss. I've reached an impasse in my heart, torn between two desires. But I have ultimately decided that I just want to see you happy."

He managed to swallow, "Anna I…love you. I did all this for your sake. And for your sake, I'm offering you to end me…if it'll suffice. Anna, I want you to carry out your own sense of justice. And end it once and for all."

A few stale moments passed before Anna's lips parted.

"Justice…"

Hao sighed silently, "Anna, do what you must…because it's all for naught if you're suffering. This is my decision."

She glanced at him, and then her delicate hands reached for the weapon and took hold of the grip. It was cold and heavy and trembled in her fingers as it rose from the table towards her chest.

A hazy voice came from her mouth, "I want to know something."

Their eyes met. Her demeanor had softened, as if trying to counsel him. It unfortunately made him falter a little. Despite being so distraught, she still managed to glow with unparalleled beauty.

"You say you love me…?"

The question caught him off guard, but he managed to stutter out an answer.

"Y-yes."

She cocked the gun.

This was it.

His mind was clear, 'This is the right thing to do.'

He knew what that Anna would avenge her beloved Yoh and she had every right to do so.

He closed his eyes.

He could hear her fumbling with the gun in her small hands.

Then she pulled the trigger...

* * *

He heard a large thud and the ground underneath his seat shook.

Hao's eyes flew open and all in the same instant, he recoiled in horror.

Blood covered the wall behind Anna's chair and a pool formed at his feet. There she lay on the floor drowning in a pool of red. It took a millisecond too long for him to process what had happened…

"Anna!" he scrambled to his feet and picked her up by her shoulders.

"ANNA!"

This wasn't real. There was no way.

"ANNA PLEASE!"

She would never do this. What the hell? What does this prove?!

ANNA!

Why?

ANNA!

WHY?

It was no use. Her cold lifeless eyes stared up into the ceiling as he wrapped his arms around her and shook with despair. This wasn't supposed to happen. The bullet was meant for him. Not her.

"I don't understand…I don't-"

He slowly took his hand and slid it across her eyes and sat her down. He took the gun from her hand, and threw it across the room, backed up into the wall, threw back his head, and in that moment, the tears refused to stop. His mind was a jumbled mess now despite the resolve he had built up prior to. He started from the beginning:

He came into the house, found Anna sitting in the living room; he sat down, and began talking.

"Why?"

The silence began to settle in, haunting him with guilt. A cold sweat began to develop on his skin. The woman he loved was gone. He had never connected with such a strong-willed girl in all his lives, and now she was out of reach.

"No matter what, she would have never done such a thin-"

His eyes widened and his breath became stale.

Then it all became horrifyingly clear to him:

Anna, no matter how much she grieved over her beloved, would never succumb to self-inflicted death. And suddenly in the middle of her sorrow, the very assailant that took Yoh away from her walks into her house and hands her the solution to all her problems in the form of a gun. And he dare ask for forgiveness for his crime. He dare to think that he can escape the suffering of being without like her by dying for his sin.

The thought must have sickened her.

 ** _"Justice…"_**

Even in her condition, the fire of rage and hate was still within her. No doubt it was. She hated Hao in a way words couldn't possibly begin to describe. And he openly explained to her that he in fact loved her...that it was all for her sake.

 ** _"I want to know something…"_**

Love? After all the pain and suffering she had to endure, she had to sit and listen to him spew through his venomous teeth that he loved her. It made her want to vomit. Did he even know what love was…a love like Yoh and she had?

He had no right to say that to her…not now, not ever.

 ** _"You say you love me…?"_**

She needed a way to explain it to him. A way she could use to truly define how much anguish she felt without Yoh, how lonely, how afraid, how frail and weak she felt without him. If she was to suffer, then Hao should as well. He stole her love away…

 ** _"Y-yes,"_**

…then she will steal his love away from him, even if it was herself.

* * *

"You win, Anna."

Silence.

He should have never come to Funbari. He should have bit his tongue. He should have never loved her. He should have never done any of this if he was going to be distracted from his goal of annihilating human life if he was going to throw it all away for love. He should have just left her alone. She would have lived on and suffered through her loss…but he killed her.

It was a sin he couldn't forgive.

He turned his head towards the gun lying in the middle of the floor. He stood to his feet and walked towards it. He picked it up and checked the magazine.

One bullet left.

"Sorry Anna, but I'm not as strong as you are. I won't be able to suffer through if you're gone."

He cocked the gun and pointed it to his head.

...and pulled the trigger.


End file.
